The Heart of Texas: Texas Series, Book 1

Riley Hayes, the playboy of the Hayes family, is a young man who seems to have it all: money, a career he loves, and his pick of beautiful women. His father, CEO of HayesOil, passes control of the corporation to his two sons; but a stipulation is attached to Riley's portion. Concerned about Riley's lack of maturity, his father requires that Riley 'marry and stay married for one year to someone he loves'. Angered by the requirement, Riley seeks a means of bypassing his father's stipulation.

Hexbreaker: Hexworld, Book 1

New York copper Tom Halloran is a man with a past. If anyone finds out he once ran with the notorious O'Connell tunnel gang, he'll spend the rest of his life doing hard time behind bars. But Tom's secret is threatened when a horrible murder on his beat seems to have been caused by the same ancient magic that killed his gang. Cat shifter Cicero is determined to investigate the disappearance of one friend and the death of another, even though no one else believes the cases are connected.

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Publisher's Summary

Tanner Mackay and Niall Sutherland were once far more than just fellow intelligence agents. But then a mission went horribly wrong and everything fell apart, sending Tanner into hiding and splitting the team and their affair wide apart. Now an unknown traitor is threatening the team, and their ex-boss is determined to reunite them before it's too late. She finds Tanner in a run-down trailer park, bringing with her a most unwelcome refugee in need of temporary sanctuary: Niall, the man he thought he'd never have to face again. The man he's sure feels exactly the same in return. Trapped in a situation that's both claustrophobic and highly dangerous, Tanner and Niall will have to revisit their past and reconsider their perceptions, their loyalties, and their desires, in order to survive, let alone forge a future together.

I received a free copy of this audiobook to listen to and review for Wicked Reads.

72 Hours was my first purposeful attempt to listen to a mystery and/or romantic suspense audiobook. I’ve been wary about it simply because I was afraid I’d miss nuances in the story by listening to it instead of reading it. Yet when the opportunity to review this audiobook arose, the description and Michael Pauley’s voice made it impossible to resist. I’m so glad I didn’t!

London sets the tension levels at high from the very beginning and Pauley’s vocal talents heighten it even further because with the audiobook, the listener can literally hear the stress in Tanner’s voice. As the story is told from Tanner’s point of view, we’re privy to his frustration and worry about the situation that has led his colleagues to his front door, hoping to use Tanner’s trailer as a safe house for Niall, his former partner and lover. Although it takes a while before we learn what led to their breakup and Tanner’s departure from the team, it becomes obvious rather quickly that neither relationship ended on a positive note. Despite three months having passed, the wounds are still raw and the animosity between Tanner and Niall is palpable. Their relationship is one that exemplifies the saying, “There’s a fine line between love and hate.” At least from Tanner’s point of view it does and his “hate” is so strong that it tamps down on his attraction and feelings for Niall. So even as Tanner and Niall call a truce and work together to discover who is targeting the team members, they still have to deal with the attraction and deeper feelings between them.

In an effort not to spoil the book for other readers (or listeners), I’m going to try stay vague and keep the details at a minimum in regards to the suspense elements of the story. Because Tanner distanced himself from his colleagues during his suspension, he was unaware of the attacks on the team until they showed up. Yet despite his distancing, it’s apparent that he cares about his teammates and the danger they’re facing, and those in charge play on that concern to obtain his cooperating in hiding Niall. The person behind the attacks plays upon the connections between the team members, their knowledge of one another’s strengths and weaknesses, and the conflicts between them, and does this in order to lay a trail that causes Tanner and Niall to suspect one of their teammates. The false leads are laid so well that it’s easy to believe in the scapegoat’s guilt. That said, I did figure out whodunit before the team, but that’s largely because I had no prior experience with the other characters and no preconceived notions about them, and because I was listening to the story and was able to hear all that was being said, as opposed to the characters who would talk over one another or were listening when their emotions were high and their ability to process information was off. But I wouldn’t call it predictable, rather there is a point in the story where the reader is meant to know who’s behind the attacks so that they can watch it play out. As the title suggests, the events in the book (minus the final chapter) take place in a 72-hour period, so the pacing is steady, without being too fast, and the story is action packed. I thoroughly enjoyed 72 Hours and am looking forward to more from the author and the narrator.

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